AN alleged criminal syndicate “soldier” could seek bail in the Supreme Court of Victoria after being denied release in Wangaratta. The 23-year-old faced Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court from custody on Monday, 24 February after he was accused of striking terror into the local community during an alleged extortion of a Murphy Street tobacco store on 4 July 2023. The Doreen man was also accused of extortion of a Wodonga store the same day, with both shops subjected to arson overnight on 27 July 2023. Defence counsel Marlene Kizana said she was preparing a bail application for the Supreme Court of Victoria, as the matters were set to be contested after negotiations with the prosecution. The 23-year-old had bail denied at the Wangaratta court on 13 February by Magistrate Simon Zebrowski, who said he hoped to make an example of the alleged “gangland soldier” in deterring extortion attempts statewide. He is alleged to have entered Ramseen Gifts demanding a staff member in her 60s to close down the store within 24 hours or it would be burnt down. “We’re here to come take over this shop, if you are not out by the next 24 hours, there’s going to be big, big headaches for this shop,” he allegedly told a staff member over the phone. The victim of the alleged Wangaratta extortion told the accused she lived at the store and was trapped inside it during the Murphy Street arson, with the woman in her 60s extracted by CFA. The Doreen man was taken into custody on 23 January after police released footage of the alleged Wangaratta extortion. The 23-year-old is accused of being a standover man for a criminal syndicate vying to gain control of the state’s tobacco market, which has seen nearly 130 Victorian tobacco stores firebombed since March 2023. Investigators from Taskforce Lunar believed the 23-year-old and his yet to be identified co-accused were sending videos of their extortion threats to their manager at a Hawthorn based tobacco store, who shared the videos in a group chat. The court previously heard no charges have been laid for the arson of Wangaratta and Wodonga stores, but the same vehicle was allegedly present in the incidents. The matter will return for contest at the Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on 3 April.
